


Grooming

by Tvieandli



Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-26
Updated: 2013-01-26
Packaged: 2017-11-26 22:25:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/655052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tvieandli/pseuds/Tvieandli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There comes a time, when you have to stop, and ask yourself, “Am I grooming this child?”. And you sit in wonderment at the prospect of such a thing, but come to no real conclusion, because that was never your intent, you are simply very physical, but perhaps, this is a byproduct of your physicality, and-oh shit, what if that’s true? What if you’re grooming this child, and you are a terrible person?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Grooming

There comes a time, when you have to stop, and ask yourself, “Am I grooming this child?”. And you sit in wonderment at the prospect of such a thing, but come to no real conclusion, because that was never your intent, you are simply very physical, but perhaps, this is a byproduct of your physicality, and-oh shit, what if that’s true? What if you’re grooming this child, and you are a terrible person?  
You look at him, stare deep into his big, blue, half-lidded eyes, and he stares right back. He tips his head backward as you run your fingers through his hair, and you stop, because this really can’t go any further than it’s gone, as it’s already far beyond the boundary that marked wrong.  
You pull back, and he makes this little whining sound, a sound of disappointment at the loss of closeness. You realize that means that he’s half asleep, because when he’s awake he never admits to enjoying any sort of physical touch. He grumbles and reaches for you, tiny fingers seising around your arm in an attempt to drag you back under the covers, and flush against his near naked form.  
You gently peal his fingers from their death grip around your bicep, and attempt to explain your sudden flightiness. He grumbles something about you being a sodding tard, and curls up under the duvet, covering his head with one last “fuck you” muttered into the crisp night air.  
You wander out into the kitchen, and break into Bruce’s liquor cabinet. The one he only opened when Clark was over, or he genuinely felt that he’d lost all control over his life. Half way through the bottle of whiskey, you decide it would taste better if you mixed it with chocolate pudding.  
That’s how Tim finds you in the morning, (or really it’s the evening, because that’s when Bat-people wake up) sitting on the couch, surrounded by empty snackpacks, tipping whiskey into the pudding, and mixing it with a teaspoon. You’re sloshed, and so he talks really slowly, which you feel is insulting to your intelligence, but you can’t seem to pronounce the word “intelligence” so you give up trying to tell him that.  
Instead, you put the snack pack, and the whiskey down, like he tells you to, drop you head into your hands, and sigh. Thank God Damian isn’t awake, because he’d murder you with his eyes for being such a baby over nothing.  
“I thnk Im groomin Damee,” you manage. Tim looks at you like you’ve claimed to be Superman and run at the picture window that’s poised between you and a forty-or-so story drop, while screaming, “It’s okay!”. You think that is also insulting to your intelligence, but due to the results you had attempting to verbalize that last time, you pass up the opportunity to make yourself look like an even bigger dick. Hard when your name is Dick. Whatever.  
“You what?”  
“I think Ieem Groomi-ing Dam-i-an,” you say very carefully.  
“Good. Lord knows that little fucker could do with a bath.”  
“No!” Tim gives you a weird look. “I think I’m grooming him! Like pedo grooming! Like dirty bad wrong! No Dick! No!”  
Tim blinks, and then it seems to hit him what you mean, because his eyes go wide, and then he pulls a disgusted face. Has Tim always been this rude?  
“Why on earth would you want to do that?”  
“Not on purpose! I thnk uh’ve just been too close with him, you know how I’m close with people? I’m close with everyone, only he’s a kid who’s probly got a crush on me, and Ieem encouraging him!”  
Tim takes a deep breath, and takes one of your hands in his, patting it ever so gently. “Dick if you’re afraid you’re leading him on, you do it with everybody. You led me on. You led Babs on several times, and Kory, after you’d broken up with her. You lead everybody on.”  
“But I don’t want to lead Damian on!” you say with a bit too much enthusiasm, rising from the couch.  
Tim grabs you by the arms, and sits you back in your seat. “Well, it’s too late now. Maybe you should think about these things before you do them.”   
“How do I fx dis, Timmy?”  
Tim shakes his head, and claps you on the shoulder. “It’s too late now. What’s done is done. If you change the interaction between you, he’ll only see it as a weakness, and murder you in your sleep. Now go to bed before you do something stupid.  
Like throwing yourself out the window because you think you’re Superman, you think, as Tim lies you down on the couch, and covers you in a blanket. You are vaguely aware of him cleaning up the whiskey and snackpacks.  
The next time you open your eyes, you have a Damian teddy bear, staring into your soul with very blue eyes.  
“Good evening, Grayson,” he says. He has a hand on you waist, you realize. “I require sustenance.”  
“Ask Alfred,” you grumble, turning your head against the pillow.  
Damian makes a face. “You cook better.”  
You laugh a little at that, because the only things you know how to make are cereal and toaster grilled cheese. “Fine,” you say in defeat after suffering the begging look. “What do you want?”  
“Captain Crunch,” is Damian’s prompt response.  
You get up, despite the hangover, and the self loathing, and you make it for him, and then you watch as he sits there, and happily munches away, thinking about how you’re going to hell. You smarmy bastard.


End file.
